


Left

by bakinpiecaken



Category: Barney Miller (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23926222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakinpiecaken/pseuds/bakinpiecaken
Summary: A woman arrives at the 12th Precinct with no memory of who she is; Wojo arrests a man for protesting in traffic. Sequel to "Enough."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Left

**Author's Note:**

> Barney Miller is the creation of Danny Arnold and Theodore Flicker. I do not own these characters except those which I've created for this story.

The squad room of the old One-Two was quiet that afternoon. Harris was attending a seminar. Nick and Wojo were out on calls. Fish was attending a funeral out of town. It was just Chano and Barney holding down the fort. Barney emerged from his office and walked over to Chano's desk, a frown on his face.

"Uh, Chano? I'm going to need you to redo these arrest reports." Barney handed them to Detective Amenguale.

"What? What's wrong with them, Barn? I checked them twice!"

"I'm sure they're perfect...except they're in Spanish."

"Oh. Sorry. I'll fix them now." Chano got a fresh sheet of paper and placed it in his typewriter.

Looking at his subordinate's hunched back, Barney said, "Chano, is everything all right? You don't really seem like yourself today."

"I...I don’t want you bother you with it, Barn."

"If it will help to talk about it, we can. Look, everyone else is out right now, it's just the two of us. If you need to get it out..."

Chano stopped typing and sighed. "It's this girl I've been seeing. You remember Stevie? From last month?"

"Stevie...oh! That girl, the mugging case?"

"Yeah, man. So we've been going out the last couple of weeks. And things were going great, real great! She wants to take it slow...which is kinda refreshing. It's nice to be with a girl who wants me for my mind and not just my body." Chano gestured to himself.

Barney fought the urge to roll his eyes and replied, "I'm sure it is. But I'm sensing... something went wrong?"

"Well, we were starting to confide in each other, you know...personal stuff. She sometimes works for the chamber of commerce, and one of the board members, this old guy, she was doing a project with him a while back. They were alone one evening at his office, and he made a pass at her! Actually grabbed her and pushed her against his desk!"

Barney frowned. "Did it go any further than..."

"No. That was it. She said she got him to stop, just 'gently fought him off and made a joke about it' and he let her go. God, Barn, I was so mad! I asked if she reported him but she said it wouldn't do any good. He's got too much power."

"We see way too much of that in our line of work. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well. That's not the end of it. So Stevie invited me to this cocktail party last Saturday night, a fundraiser. All these bigwigs were there, lots of fancy clothes and frou frou food and stuff. And she's introducing me to all these people, and who do you think slithers up to us and starts trying to get her attention? That old lech who groped her!"

"Oh geez..."

"Yeah! Oh, I was ready to throw it down, Barney! I gave him a piece of my mind!"

"You mean right there? In front of all those people?"

"Well...in Spanish. None of those whities knew what I was saying...no offense, Barn."

Barney shook his head. "None taken. But uh...Ms. Stevenson--Stevie--she knows Spanish, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, man. And then she gets mad at me. At me! Can you believe that? She says that I embarrassed her. I said she's making a mistake letting that pervert get away with it!"

"And she said..."

"She told me I don't get it. That I don't understand 'how the game is played.' That if she were to report him, everyone in her circle would take his side and she'd lose everything she worked for. I don't understand why she'd want to have anything to do with these people!"

"Chano...it's not so black and white for everyone. Especially when you're a young woman trying to be taken seriously by a field full of men. I mean, talk to Wentworth sometime..."

"But Wentworth wouldn't put up with this...and if something like this happened to her, we'd all be behind her! Stevie's attitude is all wrong. What she should do is--"

"Chano." Barney cut him off. "I understand you're angry. And you have every right to be. I know you care. But I think you need to stop telling Stevie what she 'should' do. What happened to her is her problem to deal with, not yours to fix. And in her mind, she handled it already."

"So what are you saying, Barney? It's all okay?"

"No, it's not okay. That man had no right to do that to her. But you can't be the white knight swooping down and fighting her battles for her. You need to respect her wishes. No matter how much it gets under your skin."

Chano just looked at him for a moment. "I can’t help but wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"If this had happened to Liz or Rachel...if you'd feel the same way."

Barney was trying to think of an answer when the door to the squadroom was thrown open and in walked Wojo, restraining a frumpy, balding man with a thick black mustache and glasses so large they made his black eyes look beady. "But you agree with me, don’t you?" The man pleaded with Wojo.  
"Doesn't matter what I think. Just take a seat over there, will ya?" Wojo snapped.

"What's going on here?" Barney asked.

"Uh Barn, this is Mort Phillips. He caused a...traffic disturbance at Waverly and University."

"I was making a point! That intersection is a death trap! Do you know many traffic accidents have happened there with cars making left turns? How many pedestrians have been struck over the years? Someone had to do something about it!"

"Well that 'something' isn't parking your car in the middle of the road and shooting out the traffic light!" Wojo snapped.

Barney's eyes widened. "You shot out the traffic light?"

"I have a permit for the gun!"

"That's not the point! You're being charged with destruction of City property, criminal endangerment, and impeding traffic. Now take a seat over there so I can book you." Wojo pointed to the chair across from his desk.

Mort Phillips turned to Barney with pleading eyes. "Captain Miller...can I at least plead my case?"

Barney shook his head. "I'm afraid this is not the place to do it, Mr. Phillips. We enforce the law, we don't make it or interpret it. You'll need to wait until your trial."

"Someone from the DOT is supposed to come down and press charges," Wojo said.

"Could I...could I talk to him?" Phillips asked.

Wojo shrugged. "Depends on if they want to hear it. I gotta take your info now."

After Phillips was seated and he gave Wojo his information, he asked, “Can I tell you why I did it? Please?”

Wojo sighed. “Okay. Why did you do it?”

“There was a college student – nice kid. She was just crossing the street to get to her next class. There was a guy turning left coming the other way. He was trying to beat the light, and he gunned it. He smashed right into her.”

Wojo gaped. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry to me! Say it to Abner, who’s never gonna plan a wedding for his little girl, never gonna have grandkids! He lost his wife to cancer ten years ago. Now he’s alone!”

“Well, that’s too bad and all, but what does all this have to do with shooting out the traffic light?”

“If that guy who’d hit her had a dedicated left turn lane, with a dedicated signal, then he wouldn’t have been trying to beat the light, and maybe he wouldn’t have been so careless. Don’t you see? I’ve researched that intersection; traffic volume has increased by 22% in the last twenty years, but it still has the same old roadway layout from the turn of the century. A left turn lane would calm the traffic and reduce pedestrian injuries…and fatalities. What I’m trying to say is, the road’s capacity and safety can be improved when a left turn lane is provided.”

“Everything you’re saying makes sense, so why did you do something crazy like shooting the light? Why not write to the mayor, or the governor, or your congressman?”

“Oh, don’t you think I tried that? I wrote, I called, I attended meetings! I got nowhere. Just silence. I was thrown from one department to the other, told that it was based on ‘traffic volume’ or that it was a federal government issue. So I figured, if I shoot out the light, they’re going to have to listen to me, aren’t they?” When Wojo didn’t answer, Phillips shrugged. “I know it sounds insane. But maybe sometimes you have to do crazy things to make good things happen. And if I can save another poor kid from dying in the street…well, it’s worth going to prison then, isn’t it?”

Wojo didn’t have an answer to this.

****************************************

A short time later, Chano had nearly finished translating his reports to English when the door was opened and in walked a tall, gaunt, middle-aged woman with short, blonde curled hair thrown over one eye. She was wearing a trench coat about two sizes too large for her and was clutching it tightly around her as if she were cold.

"Um...excuse me," the woman murmured in a voice so soft Chano could barely hear it.

He looked up at her and frowned. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I uh..." she seemed to be searching for the right words. Finally she said, "I need to report a missing person."

"Of course. Please have a seat and you can file a report." Once Chano set up his typewriter, he asked, "Okay, name of the missing person?"

The woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I...don't know."

"You don't know the name? Well, who is it?"

"Me."

Chano gaped at her. "Barney!"

******************

Barney, Chano, and Harris (who'd just returned from his workshop), stood huddled together, discussing the case.  
"So, no memory of anything, huh?" Harris asked.

"Nada, Ron. Doesn’t know who she is or where she’s from. She says she just 'woke up' and she was wandering around the drugstore on the corner. No idea how she got there,” Chano replied.

"Did you have her empty her pockets yet?" Barney asked.

"Not yet."

"Have her do that. Maybe that will give us some clues. Or jog her memory."

Chano walked back to the woman. "Ma'am, could I ask you to take off your coat and empty your pockets?"

"Oh, I've already checked my pockets, Officer. No identification or anything I recognize. Just this." With that, she started pulling out stacks of cash from the inside pocket of her coat, probably amounting to thousands of dollars.

Chano's eyes bugged out. "Dios mio! Porque lo tiene? Where you did you get all that?"

"I don't know, officer. Is it enough?"

"Enough to do what? Buy a car? Yes, it's enough."

Barney walked up to them. "Ma'am, is there anything else in your coat?"

"I...don't think so. Uh..." she rooted around in her pockets until she found a small, torn slip of paper. "This?"

Barney took it. "Liz...oak tree...1 pm. Does this mean anything to you?" 

“No…doesn’t mean a thing.”

The captain sighed. “Okay, uh…Ma’am. Sergeant Amenguale will collect more information from you, and then we’ll call Bellevue.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Bellevue? Why? Why do I need to go there?”

“Ma’am, please. If you have memory loss, then clearly you’ve been through some…physical and mental trauma that needs to be treated by medical professionals.”

“But I’m fine! Sure, I don’t remember my life, but I know what everything is! I remember how to walk and to talk. I know that’s a phone, and that’s a typewriter…” 

Harris walked over to the woman and held out a cup of coffee. “Ma’am? Here, drink this.”

The woman thanked him and took a sip. “Hmm…not sure what this is, though.”

Chano rolled his eyes. “Sometimes even we’re not sure,” he quipped, then added, “Ma’am, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Bellevue is an excellent hospital. They’ll be able to help you much better than we can.”

She shook her head. “Please…can’t I stay here a little longer, and—and see if something comes back to me? I just…I don’t know if I can go to Bellevue.”

“It’s standard procedure…”

“No!” The woman’s wide, frightened eyes got even wider and more frightened. “I’m sorry, but—but—I just can’t go there! Please!” She turned to look at the others. “Please?” she whispered.

Chano and Harris looked at Barney, who sighed. “All right, Ma’am. Take a little more time, see if anything comes back to you. In the meantime, let’s go downstairs so we can take your photo. Sound good?” The woman agreed, and Chano led her out the back way.

“Hey, Barn?” Harris asked.

“Yeah?”

“Can we talk in your office?”

“Sure.”

Once they were in Barney’s office with the door slightly closed, Barney asked, “Have some ideas?”

“Yeah, a couple. First, that note… ‘Liz, oak tree, 1 pm.’ You uh…you don’t think that could be your Liz, do you?”

“I’m not sure about that. That’s a bit of a longshot. There’s probably hundreds of woman named Liz living just in this neighborhood alone. Besides, I don’t recognize her.”

“Yeah, but do you know everyone that Liz knows? She is a social worker. And this woman has no memory at all…but she knew to come here and file a report.”

“I suppose I can call Liz and ask her. What else?”

”Well, this whole thing—losing her memory—it sounds like a psychogenic fugue.”

“Oh sure.” Barney nodded, then added, “What the hell is that?”

“It’s a fairly new concept, but modern psychology proposes that a fugue is caused when someone undergoes some sort of trauma that makes them ‘forget’ everything and start wandering away from their lives—sometimes just a few miles, sometimes several hundred.” Harris grinned. “I gotta say, Barn—it makes for an excellent narrative device!”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Barney replied wryly. “Did you, uh, happen to notice how vehemently opposed she was to going to Bellevue?”  
“Oh, most definitely! The woman has a definite fear of hospitals. Maybe she’s an escaped mental patient.”

“An escaped mental patient carrying thousands of dollars?”

“Well, we don’t know what she was doing before she ended up at the pharmacy! Maybe she robbed a bank. Or perhaps a Neiman Marcus! That is a striking coat she’s wearing.”

“Well, if anyone could make that sort of fashion judgement call, it’s you. But I think we would have heard about it on dispatch if that had been the case.”

Before Harris could respond, Wojo appeared in the doorway. “Barn? Can I talk to you when you get a minute?”

“I’m just on my way out. Have some paperwork to do,” Harris commented, sliding past Wojo to leave.

“So what’s up?” Barney asked Wojo.

“Uh…well, I finished booking Phillips.”

“Glad to hear you’re following standard procedure,” Barney quipped. “Something on your mind?”

Wojo fidgeted slightly. “Well, it’s just that uh…I know what he done was crazy, but you know…I don’t think he’s a cuckoo personally. I think he just wants to make a difference, you know? He’s trying to prevent people from dying.”

“By destroying a traffic light and potentially causing car accidents.”

“No, no, see, this kid he knew was killed at that intersection a while back. Phillips is saying that if a left turn lane and signal was installed there, it might have prevented it.”

“Wojo…”

“Come on, Barn! You know what the traffic is like around here! You know what it’s like trying to make a left turn at that intersection – it’s bananas! What if he’s got a point?”

“Wojo, that is not up to us to decide. The Transportation Department has to evaluate something like that. Who’s to say they’re not already? And look – I feel bad that an innocent woman was killed, but who’s to say that a whole left turn lane would have made the difference? Maybe the driver who hit her was distracted, maybe he was intoxicated? We don’t know the whole situation surrounding this. Now, you did exactly what you were supposed to do – you arrested him and you filed the report. The rest is out of our hands.”

“But—but maybe when the DOT person comes, we can get them to listen to Phillips! Can’t we try?”

Barney rolled his eyes. “If DOT is willing to listen, only if.”

*****************************  
While Barney and Wojo were talking in the office, Nick returned from his call. “Unbelievable!” he exclaimed.

“What’s up?” Harris, who was filing papers at the cabinet nearest the door, asked.

“So I go to the library to take a call about a lady who was taking books off the shelf and licking them…”

Harris gaped. “Licking them?”

“Yeah. You know…” Nick mimed the motion for Harris, sticking his tongue out and waggling it around.

“Okay, man, okay. I got you, just stop that.”

“Anyway, I get there, and Manhattan South’s already on the scene and handling it! Apparently this chick has been doing this all around town, starting at Chatham Square. Just licking books and leaving a pile of them.”

Harris shook his head. “Talk about a ‘thirst’ for knowledge.”

**************************

The door opened and in walked Liz. “Hello, all you hardworking people!” she called.

Barney walked out of his office and kissed her. “Hey! I was just about to call you!”

“Ah, our thoughts are on the same frequency. How very splendid.”

“What brings you here?”

“Well…Mrs. Mehavitz in 104 forgot she no longer has to cook for six sons. She made far too much matzoh ball soup, so she shared a gallon with me.” Liz held up large plastic container triumphantly. “I came to share the wealth with you.”

“Ah, the boys will love it. Won’t we Harris?”

Harris looked at the container and chuckled dryly. “Oh yes…mazel tov to us.”

“So why were you going to call me, Barney?

Barney explained the appearance of the Jane Doe in their squadroom, along with the note she was carrying. “Does that…ring any bells?” He asked his wife, hoping deep down that it didn’t.

Liz shook her head. “Sorry, Barney. The only person I recall ever asking me to meet them at an old oak tree is Tony Orlando.”

“Ooh, Dawn too?” Nick called out.

Chano and Jane Doe approached from the back of the squadroom. “Photos taken and being circulated, Barney,” he told his superior.

“Uh, Liz…this is…well…we don’t have her name. Ma’am, this is my wife, Liz,” Barney introduced them.

“How do you do?” Liz greeted her.

“Hi! Are you…the one I was supposed to meet at the oak tree at 1?”

Liz glanced at Barney. “No, I don’t think I am.”

“Oh. I didn’t think so.” The woman looked disappointed.

Chano took the woman’s arm. “Ma’am…why don’t you come and sit over here?”

After the woman moved away, Barney murmured to Liz, “You don’t recognize her, do you?”

“No, honey. Sorry. I’d better let you get back to work.”

“Sure! Uh…actually,” Barney glanced over at Chano, who was busy talking with the woman. “Come into my office for a moment. I need to talk to you about something.”

Once they were alone, Liz said, “Judging by the look on your face, this isn’t a pleasure call.”

“No. I need to get your opinion on a scenario. A hypothetical scenario.”

“Very well.”

“So--hypothetically of course—if an older man tried to take advantage of you when you were alone with him in his office, what would you do?”

Liz smirked. “You’re only two months older than me, Barney.”

Barney chuckled. “No, no. Not me. I mean, if another man—in a position of power over you—tried to come onto you and it was unwanted—what would you do?”

“Hypothetically? I’d tell him I wasn’t interested, then get myself out of the situation as quickly as I could.”

“Right. Yeah, sure. And then you’d tell me, of course. Hypothetically.”

“If you existed in this, uh, hypothetical situation? Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Well, if I wanted to talk about it.”

“Oh, sure.” Barney considered it for a moment. “Why ‘maybe’?”

“Barney, what answer are you looking for, exactly?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It was just a conversation I was having earlier with…someone around here. I just hope I gave him the right advice.”

“Well, what was your advice?”

“That when someone tells you they can handle a situation without you…you have to respect that. Even if they’ve been hurt and you want to make it all better.”

Liz nodded. “Yep, sounds right.”

“But Liz…if you were in this situation…or if Rachel was in it…it would be different, wouldn’t it? You’d come and tell me that it happened, and you’d ask me to help you.”

“Like I said, Barney—maybe.”

Barney’s eyes widened. “But Rachel…”

“I can’t speak for her.”

“Well, yes. But neither of you have gone through that.”

Liz raised her brows. “Are you so sure of that?”

“What are you saying, Liz?”

“I’m saying that…all—well, nearly all—women have had a moment where a man has pushed a little too much, tried to go a little too far. And we all had our own ways of dealing with it—which means that we don’t always go to our husbands, or boyfriends, or fathers and tell them.”

“But why?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes we just want to forget. Move on with our lives. And every time we tell someone, we’re reliving it. Sometimes we don’t want to hurt the people we love with it. And sometimes we’re afraid of the consequences of telling. Lots of reasons.”

Barney looked devastated by this. Liz kissed his cheek. “You gave the right advice, sweetheart. Really you did. Listen, I have to go.”

“Yeah. Just Liz, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need help...you know there’s nothing you can’t come to me with, right?”

She smiled. “Of course, Barney. Why do you think I came to you when I was saddled with all that matzoh ball soup? I couldn’t think of anyone better to help me.”  
Barney chuckled at this.

****************************************  
A few minutes after Liz left, the door opened again, and a light-skinned black man with glossy, curly black hair and dressed in a burgundy suit walked in. “Hello, good afternoon,” he said to Harris. “I’m Cirrus Marsters, from the DOT?” The man had a light Caribbean accent and a kind look in his eyes.

“Oh yeah, here to press charges, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Harris called for Barney, who introduced himself and as well as Wojo as the arresting officer. Cirrus laughed lightly. “I must say, Captain—Detective Wojciehowicz—in all my time with the DOT, I’ve never heard of someone doing something like this. The man must have been very…upset.”

“That’s putting it mildly, Mr. Marsters,” Barney replied. “If you’ll have a seat over at that desk, Detective Wojciehowicz will take your statement.”

Wojo glanced over at Mort Phillips, who returned his look with pleading eyes. “Uh…Mr. Marsters, I know you’re just here to get this done, but, um…would you be willing to speak with Mr. Phillips about what he did?”

Cirrus Marsters frowned. “It’s not really the DOT’s policy, sir. I reviewed the information collected from the scene…”

“I know, but um…you see…the reason why he did it…it’s personal.”

Cirrus’s eyes shifted to the metal pot sitting behind Wojo’s desk. “That smells delicious. What is it?”

Barney glanced at it. “It’s um, matzoh ball soup my wife brought us.”

“Let me have a bowl of it and I’ll talk to Mr. Phillips.”

“Are you serious?” Wojo asked.

The man raised his eyebrows. “Are you serious about wanting me to speak to him?”

“Well, yeah!”

“One thing about me, Detective: I never joke around when it comes to lunch, which I missed today. A bowl for my time, if you please. ”

And so Barney ladled out a big bowl of soup and handed it to Cirrus, who drew a chair up to the cage and eagerly started to tuck into it. “Now…Mr. Phillips…” he said between bites, “I’m going to have to press charges for the damage done to the traffic light.”

“I understand that, Mr. Marsters, but I had a very good reason for what I did.” Mort Phillips proceeded to relate the story he’d told to Wojo.

“Well, I sympathize with your feelings, but I have to point out a couple of things. First, there simply isn’t the traffic volume required to make such a change to the traffic pattern. I’m an engineer, Mr. Phillips, and I’ve analyzed that particular roadway before. You realize too, that making one lane of the roadway a dedicated left turn lane will create time delays for the cross street.”

“Yes, I understand that, Mr. Marsters, but it would also increase overall capacity! You have to face the fact that the population is going to keep growing, and the roadways have to adapt to this.”

“And you, Mr. Phillips, have to face the fact that the City is currently flat broke! We simply don’t have the budget for the types of improvements you’re suggesting. We’re dealing with manpower and resource shortages all across the government. I mean, look at me! The highlight of my day is the fact that I was able to eat for free by begging for food from the NYPD.”

Mort Phillips looked at Cirrus Marsters sadly. “But if it saves lives, innocent lives, isn’t it worth it?”

At this point, Barney stepped up. “You know, Mr. Phillips, I’ve been listening to you extol the virtues of adding an extra lane to the road, but I haven’t heard you acknowledge that driver negligence could have contributed to this…unfortunate occurrence. I’m just curious if there’s any particular reason for this.”

The man hung his head. “The guy who hit Lily…was my son.” Barney and Wojo exchanged a glance.

“Drew was rushing to his job, he was so afraid he was going to be late. It was late afternoon, and the sun was hanging low…and the traffic going the other way just would-not-stop! He finally had a gap, he gunned it…and Lily was right in his path. He didn’t see her, he…felt it.” Mort Phillips ran his hands over his eyes, then took a deep breath in. “Drew was charged with involuntary manslaughter, and he’s at Sing Sing right now. Look, I don’t deny what my son did, but I can’t help him! And I can’t bring Lily back, and I can’t change the way the earth orbits the sun, but maybe I can influence the right people to change what’s here on the ground!”

Cirrus Marsters smiled sadly. “I wish to God Almighty that I could make that change right now for you. I have to press charges. I’m sorry. But…when it’s time for the trial, find yourself a good lawyer, do your research, and come armed for an argument. I’ll make sure to be there, and to document all of your evidence so that when the funds do become available, we can start making the case for traffic improvements somewhere down the line. You’ll lose the battle…but maybe in the end, you’ll help to win the war.” He stood up, handed the bowl to Barney with a grateful nod, and said, “I’m ready to file that report, Detective Wojciehowicz.”

“Right over here.” Wojo gestured to the chair. As he got ready to start typing, Wojo looked over at Mort Phillips and smiled. The man nodded and smiled back.

****************************************  
Not long after Cirrus Marsters left, a short, buxom woman with close cropped gray hair opened the door to the squadroom. “Hello,” she said to Chano. “I need to report a—” She stopped short when she saw who was sitting at the far end of his desk. “Em!” she cried.

“Who?” Jane Doe asked.

“Emily—oh Em! I’ve been so worried!” The woman rushed towards Jane, who backed up several steps in alarm.

Chano stepped between them. “Excuse me, ma’am. Who are you?”

“What? My name is Liz Potter. I’m a friend of Emily. You never showed up, Em! Are you all right?”

“Detective Amenguale, I don’t know who this is,” Jane Doe told Chano. 

“What’s going on here?” Barney approached the group.

“Barney, this is Ms. Liz Potter. She appears to know our Jane Doe,” Chano explained.

“Jane Doe?” Liz Potter asked with a frown.

Barney relayed the story of how the amnesia-stricken woman had arrived at the squadroom. When he was done, he concluded with, “There was a slip of paper in her pocket stating a time and location. Do you have any idea what that might be?”

“Yes…Emily and I were supposed to meet in Central Park at 1 pm. I went there and waited, and she never showed up. So I’ve been walking around town, trying to retrace where she might have gone. Finally, I came here because this precinct is the closest to her home.”

“I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but…who the hell are you?” Jane Doe asked.

Liz Potter laughed. “I’m your friend, Em. Well, I’ve been your maid for the last three years, your confidant for two, and your co-conspirator for the last six months.”

“Co-conspirator?” Chano asked.

Liz shook her head. “I…I should be careful what I say. It took so long for Em to work up the courage to leave, I…oh, I’ve said too much.”

Barney said, “Ms. Potter, ‘Emily’?—has clearly been through some sort of trauma. She came here looking for help. We can’t help her unless we get the full story.”

Liz eyed Jane Doe and said, “That’s not her trenchcoat that she’s wearing. It’s mine.”

“That’s um…good to know, but we’re going to need more than that.”

“I just…all I can say is, Emily needed to get out of her situation, and I offered to help. I don’t know why she can’t remember anything. The last time I saw her—yesterday—she was fine. She was ready.”

“I don’t remember any of that,” Jane Doe said.

“Em, do I look familiar at all? Is there anything I can tell you, show you?”

“No. I’m—I’m sorry. All I know is that I was walking around a drug store. Everything else is blank.” Jane Doe looked around at the squadroom. “There—and here—this is all that’s ever existed. At least, for me, the way I am right now.”

Liz Potter thought for a moment. “Em, you know something you always liked? You always liked it when I did your makeup for you. I brought your makeup bag with me. Maybe if I did your makeup the way you like, you’ll feel more like…you?”

“I’m willing to try.” Jane Doe looked at Barney and Chano. “Is there a bathroom around here?”

Barney replied, “Just around the corner, Ma’am.” When the two women walked away, Barney turned to Harris. “Just keep an ear out for them, will you?”

“Sure, Barn.”

“What do you think it is?” Chano asked. “What could make someone completely forget who they are?”

“I don’t know…but we can’t put it off any longer. She has to go to Bellevue.”

“Yeah I think you’re right. But Barn…I think she’ll be more willing to go if one of us takes her instead of calling them to come here.”

“You got a point there. Okay, get a car ready. Nick, call Bellevue and tell them we’ll be bringing a patient over to them.”

“Got it, Barn.”

“Ahem.”

Barney and his detectives looked up to see a tall, well-dressed man standing in the doorway. His thinning red hair was lightly streaked with gray, and while he was growing a bit stout, it was clear this man had once been an athlete. “Who’s in charge here?” The man demanded to know.

“I’m Captain Miller,” Barney held out his hand.

The man considered the offered hand for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to bother with it. At last, he deigned to shake it. “I’m Martin Corden. Doctor Martin Corden. I’m here to report a missing person.”

Barney and Chano looked at each other. Barney said, “If you’ll step over to Sergeant Amenguale’s desk, we’ll start collecting some information.”

“What is the person’s name?” Chano asked.

“It’s my wife.”

“And her name?”

“Emily Corden. She’s been missing since this morning.”

“Mister…”

“Doctor,” Corden corrected.

“Doctor Corden. We can’t consider someone missing until 48 hours have passed.”

“I told you, she’s missing. I came home at 11 am this morning and she wasn’t there. She simply…left.”

“Isn’t it possible that she went out? Ran an errand?”

“No, she had no errands to run. I didn’t give her any to do.”

“Well, perhaps she decided…”

“My wife doesn’t decide anything. She’s either at home, or she goes where I take her. If she wasn’t at home, then something is wrong.”

“Charming fellow,” Harris muttered to Wojo as they stood at the other end of the room.

“Dr. Corden, do you have a recent photo of your wife?” Barney asked.

“Of course.” The doctor reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wallet-sized photo, handing it to Chano.

Chano looked at it, raised his eyebrows, then handed it back to Dr. Corden, nodding to Barney as he did so.

“Dr. Corden, just out of curiosity…what sort of doctor are you?” Chano asked.

The man frowned. “What difference does it make?”

“Please, sir. We wish to collect as much information as we can for the investigation.”

“I’m an orthopedic surgeon at Bellevue.”

“I see.” Barney said this with a bit of resignation in his voice, already knowing where things were going to go.

And as if on cue, out walked Liz Potter and Jane Doe. They were smiling and talking lightly, clearly both feeling better about the situation. Liz’s smile faded when she saw Dr. Corden sitting at Chano’s desk. She instantly took Jane’s hand and stood in front of her. 

Dr. Corden stood up when he saw her. “Elizabeth? Why are you here?”

Her mouth hung open, not knowing how to answer. Corden looked past Liz and saw the woman she was trying to hide. “Emily? Emily, what the hell are you doing here?”

Jane (now Emily) frowned in confusion. “I’m sorry; who are you?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Emily! Do you know how much trouble you’re in for leaving the house?” He attempted to grab her hand, only to have Liz Potter stand in his way and get in his face.

“Don’t you dare threaten her! I won’t let you!”

“Get out of my way, woman! You’re out of a job.”

“That’s enough!” Barney called out, physically separating them. To Emily, he said, “Ma’am, is any of this coming back to you? Do you remember this man?”

“What are you talking about, Miller? Of course she knows who I am!” Corden snapped.

“I’m afraid Mrs. Corden is suffering from amnesia at the moment. She came in this afternoon unable to remember anything.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Is it?” Liz Potter demanded. “You control every aspect of her life: when she eats, when she sleeps, where she goes, who she sees! She couldn’t take the abuse anymore!”

“Abuse? Abuse!” Corden shouted. “I’ve never laid a hand on her!”

“You don’t have to hit her to abuse her!” Wojo shouted, approaching the group of people. “I’ve only met you for five minutes, but even a big oaf like me can see you broke her brain!”

“Wojo,” Barney cautioned.

“It’s true, Barney!” Chano chimed in. 

“Mr. Corden,” Barney addressed him, “Clearly this is your wife, but until her condition is diagnosed and treated by medical professionals…”

“That’s Dr. Corden! I am a medical professional! I’m taking my wife home and I’ll treat her for whatever this nonsense is,” Corden blustered.

“Dr. Corden…you might be a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon, but Mrs. Corden needs to be treated by a psychiatrist. After that, it’s her decision whether or not to go with you.”

“Then she’s going with me.” 

“No, I’m not!”

Everyone turned to see Emily Corden, holding her head in her hands. “Please…everyone just stop. I…I…need a moment.”

“Em?” Liz put her hands on her shoulders. “What is it?”

“I don’t know! I…when I try to think or remember, it hurts, but…” She rubbed her temples. “I just know I can’t take this anymore. I need help.”

“Well that is what I am going to do, Emily!” Corden told her. “I am going to fire that woman for putting these ideas in your head, and I am going to get you the proper treatment, or medication, or whatever it is you need so that you start behaving the way you should.”

Emily stared at him, stared at the way he glared down at her, eyes like daggers, nostrils flaring. She looked to Barney for help. “Captain Miller…I—I—don’t have to go with him, do I?”

“Mrs. Corden, it’s quite possible that Dr. Corden might be all the family you have, but…no. You don’t have to go with anyone that you don’t want to. You are free to make your own decisions.”

“You stay out of this, Miller! I’ll have my lawyer sue your whole miserable precinct for this! It’s clear that my wife is mentally unstable, and needs to be committed.” He turned back to his wife. “This is not up for discussion, Emily! We are leaving!”

“No, please!”

“A mess! An absolute mess, just like your mother!”

“Don’t talk about my mother! She was a smart, strong lady who marched to the beat of her own drum…” Emily stopped mid-sentence, mouth dropping as she realized what she said. “My mother?” she whispered.

“Em!” Liz exclaimed.

“Mrs. Corden, you appear to be remembering something,” Chano observed.

Emily shut her eyes tightly and held her head again. “I know…some things. I don’t know how I know them, but…” She opened her eyes and looked at Liz. “I was supposed to meet you this afternoon, wasn’t I? At the oak tree in Central Park.”

“Yes! Yes, Em. You were!”

“We agreed to meet at 1 because Martin had surgeries scheduled until 4 today. That would have given us enough time to get to Penn Station and board the train to Harrisburg…where your sister lives.”

“Yes! Oh, Em. You remember!”

Emily clutched at the coat she was wearing. “I took your coat, so that if Martin filed a missing person report, I’d be dressed differently from how he’d describe me. I went to the bank first. Withdrew the money I had saved up in my account…”

“Account? What account? You don’t have one!” Corden cried.

“Not anymore. I took all the money out and closed it. Then I was leaving the bank, and…and…I don’t know.”

“Psychogenic fugue, Mrs. Corden,” Harris told her. “Your mind wiped itself clean to deal with the stress of the situation.”

“Stress? She has no stress! She lives in a beautiful house and has every luxury anyone could want.” Corden grabbed her arm. “We’re done here, Emily. We’re going to take all that money you stole back to the bank and you’re going to work very hard to get back into my good graces.”

“L-let go of me, Martin,” Emily pleaded. When he didn’t, Barney stepped up to them and said, “Dr. Corden? Mrs. Corden asked you to let her go.”

“She’s my wife!” Corden argued.

“Not for too much longer!” Emily Corden shouted. “That is, uh…that is to say…”

“Oh come on, Em! Everything’s been leading up to this! You can do it!” Liz cried.

“Shut your mouth, woman!” Corden yelled at Liz.

“Don’t you tell her to shut up!” Emily snapped at him. “Martin. Martin, I…want a divorce.” For the first time, she looked him square in the eyes as she spoke to him.

He was dumbfounded. “What did you say?”

“She said she wants a divorce. Don’t your ears work?” Wojo sniped.

“Wojo,” Barney warned.

“I want a divorce, Martin. I’m going to stay with Liz until I can figure out what to do next.”

“A divorce.” Martin Corden scoffed at this, but let go of her arm. “Ha! A divorce. Don’t you remember our pre-nup, Emily? You walk away from me, and you get nothing. Nothing at all!”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s true, I’ll walk away with no house, no money, none of that. But I’ll have the one thing you’ll never have again.”

“Oh really? And what’s that?”

“Me.” Emily picked up the bag with all of the money she’d brought with her. “Captain Miller, thank you for everything you tried to do for me. All of you. I’m going to leave now, if that’s all right.”

“That’s fine, Mrs. Corden. Unless you’d like one of my officers to take you to Bellevue for an evaluation.”

“No, thank you. I’d just like to leave.”

Corden spoke. “Oh no, you don’t! You’re not leaving me—I’m leaving you!” He lunged at the door, then turned back and looked at his wife. “Where do I send the divorce papers?”

“To my apartment,” Liz told him.

“Hmph. Fine. Enjoy poverty.” He pulled open the door and slammed it behind him.

Liz sighed. “Ready to go, Em?”

“Sure.” Emily walked toward the door, then stopped, and looked at Barney. She laughed in a sad way. “Funny, isn’t it? Those four simple words I’ve wanted to say to my husband for thirteen years: ‘I want a divorce.’ I was so scared to say them I forgot who I was for a while. Pretty crazy, huh?”

Barney shook his head. “No, Mrs. Corden. Not crazy. I think you’re one of the bravest people I ever met.” He held out his hand. “Good luck to you.”

“Thank you.” Taking her friend’s arm, Emily Corden left the squadroom.

***************

Not long afterwards, Kogan came upstairs with an unidentified man in a faded blue suit trailing behind. “Bail ticket for Phillips came in!” Kogan announced, handing it to Wojo.

“Bail? Who’s bailing me out?” Phillips asked.

“Me.” The man stepped in front of the cage.

Phillips went white. “Abner?” he whispered.

Abner smiled. “Hello, Mort. Heard you gunned down a traffic light.”

“You, uh…you’re uh…bailing me out? Why?”

The man shrugged. “You tried to do your part to make things right. It’s the least I can do.”

Wojo opened the door to the cage and let Phillips out. “You’ll need to sign the bail ticket, Mr. Phillips. You’ll get an official notice when your trial is set. And your gun is going to be held as evidence.”

After Phillips finished signing the bail ticket, he looked at Abner. “Thank you, Abner.”

“You’re welcome, Mort. Let’s hope this is the last time I ever have to see you. Goodbye.” With that, Abner turned on his heel and left.

Phillips turned to Wojo and sighed. “I guess that’s more than I could hope for.”

“Yeah, Mr. Phillips. I think it is.”

“Will you be there at my trial?”

“Yeah, most likely. I’ll have to give testimony.”

“Well, then…I’ll see you there. Oh, and Detective Wojciehowicz?”

“Yeah?”

“I promise not to shoot any more City property. Unless I have no choice.”

Wojo grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

*************************

Things started winding down not long after that as the shift ended. Harris, Wojo, and Nick headed out. Barney looked out of the doorway of his office and noticed Chano still sitting at his desk, staring at his phone. “Chano? Shift’s over. Why don’t you head out?”

“Yeah. Yeah, Barney, I just uh…I don’t know. You’re right. I should head out.”

“Chano…if it’s really bothering you, you should call her.”

Chano shook his head. “I can’t, man. I can’t just keep seeing Stevie, acting like everything is fine, and not trying to do something to help. I’m a cop! It’s my job to bust guys like that. I mean, what makes him any different from the lowlifes we catch when we’re on mugging duty? Just a few steps away from getting a girl on her back and…well you know…”

“I know. Believe me, I get it. I got a wife, I got a daughter. It’s a hard world for a woman to live in. We saw what Mrs. Corden went through to earn her freedom. And it’s tough being a good man in this world too. Seeing the struggles, wanting to help…and knowing that sometimes there’s nothing we can do.”

“Then what’s the point, Barn? What’s the point in trying to defend the innocent, to be ‘good men’, if it’s all in vain?”

“Because sometimes we can make a difference. That’s why we have to keep trying! Because if we have the power in this world as men…then maybe we have the power to shift things a little bit. Shake up the balance. So that if my daughter…or your girlfriend…finds herself in that position again, she won’t be afraid to ask for help.”

Chano sighed and crossed his arms. “The last thing Stevie said to me was ‘stay out of it.’ Well, I think I’m going to respect her wishes, like you said. If she wants the power to make her decisions…then she can decide to come find me.”

Barney smiled sadly. “But you’re keeping the door open?”

Chano smiled back and walked through the doorway. “Yeah, man. I’m keeping the door open.” He shut it behind him.

A second later, he opened the door again. “Of course, this particular one, I’m closing since it’s shift end.” Then he shut the door again. Barney smiled.


End file.
